Humidifying apparatus.



P.y w. PARKS. HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS. APPLIQATQION FILED APE. 25, 1910.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

FREDERICK W. PARKS, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO G. M. PARKS COMPANY, 0F FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS.

T o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, F EEDERICK W. PARKS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Fitchburg, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Humidifying Apparatus, of which the following descri tion, in connection with the accompanying ravving, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to apparatus for imparting the desired degree of humidity or moisture to the air in factory or other buildings, and it has for its object the production of novel and eli'ective means for mounting or supporting the humidifying or vaporizing devices so that the use of objectionable and unsightly overhead piping along the walls is obviated.

So far as concerns the vaporizing devices per se I make no claim, as they are of' the type and construction shown and described in United States Iatent No. 869,945 granted November 5, 1907 to Jfllbert W. Thompson. In that patent the vaporizer comprises es sentially a head having a circular chamber provided with a tangential inlet :tor the admission of fluid under pressure, (such as steam or com ressed air) with an axial out-- at. one end o the chamber and at its other end a water discharge nozzle is extended into the chamber coaxially therewith. This nozzle is connected with a source of Water supply, the water being at atmospheric pressure, and the action of the fluid under pressure breaks up and vaporizes the particles of water in the chamber and the jet of vapor issues from the axialoutlet of the chamber. It will be obvious from the foregoing that when a system of this character is installed two service or supply pipes must be provided and connected with each vaporizer, the one ipe for water at atmospheric pressure andp the other pipe for the luid under pressure. Many manufacturin concerns object to this double row of pipes carried overhead across mill rooms, particularly in one-story weave sheds and similar structures, wherein the roof is sustained at suitable intervals by columns or posts, and in my present invention I have provided an installation system so constructed that the vaporizers are sustained overhead in groups around the upright posts or columns.

The supply mains for water, and fluid un- Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 25, 1910.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

serial No. 557,331.

der pressure, are carried beneath the flooring and connected with t-he groups of vaporizers by suitable conduits located adjacent the supporting posts and outside the latter, or inside if hollow posts are used. By this construction and arrangement t-he main supply piping is wholly concealed from view and is out of the Way, the vaporizers are mounted Where they operate to bestadvantage, and the intermediate conduits are led up along the posts and are thus out of the Way and take up no room which could be otherwise utilized.

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described in the subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in the following claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an upright post and humidifying apparatus mounted thereon in accordance with my present invention, the supply mains being shown beneath the flooring, indicated in section; Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the structure illustrated in F1 1, taken below the line 2 2; Fig. 3 is a etail in plan showing a reverse arrangement of the annular pipes on which the vaporizers are carried.

In Figs. 1 and 2, A represents an upright post, column or standard rising from the floor B, Fig. 1, of the room in which the humidifying apparatus is to be installed, and A", WX indicate supply mains beneath the flooring, the former supplying a fluid under pressure, (air or steam) and the latter supplying water at atmospheric pressure.

At any suitable height above the iooring, say from eight to tenfeet, more or less, according to circumstances, I mount upon the post a bracket, herein shown as comprisin a separable ring-like body 1 the parts o which are clam ed upon the post by suitable bolts 2, the bo y havin a series of radial arms 3 extended there om and provided with cap-plates 4:. Said cap-plates are bent or arched, as shown, and are attached to the arms by screws 5 or other suitable fastenin s.

urrounding the post I provide two concentric annular pipes, a, rw, Figs. 1 and 2, which rest upon and are supported by the arms 4, the cover-plates 4 securing said pipes upon the arms, and as shown in Fi 1 the latter are downwardl inclined so t at the inner pipe a is slig tly higher than the outer pipe fw, the latter pipe being formed in a circle of greater radius than that of pi e a. Each of said pipes is made sepa ra le, preferably in a ves, with ends flanged at 6, Fig. 2, and bolted together by bolts 7 after the halves are assembled about the post A, the tubular rings or annuli a and w being alike except as to curvature. Any suitable and usual means can be ein ployed if necessary to pack or render Huldtight the meeting ends of the rlng halves.

In Fig. 1 the inner one of the annular ipes a, is connected by a suitable conduit a* with the supply main A", and a smnlar conduit 'tox connects the main 'Wx and the outer annular pipe w, said conduits from the floor B upward for the greater part of their length being located close to the ost A.

From the foregoing it will be seen that water is thus supplied to the annular pipe fw, and fluid under pressure, such as oo mpressed air, to the annular pipe a, the piping exposed within the room occupying but little more room than ordinary gas-piping and fixtures.

The pipe a has on its upper side a series of tapped bosses 8, and similar bosses 9 are formed on the upper side of pipe fw, for the connections with the vaporizers, and in Fig. 2 I have shown four vaporizers, those bosses not in use being plugged in any usual manner.

Each vaporizer comprises a head 10, mounted on a tubular upright stem 11 screwed into one of thebosses 8, the head being in practice chambered and provided with a tangential inlet, as in the Thompson patent referred to, for the admission of Huid under pressure throu h the stem 11 from the annular pi e a. h practice the stems will be from t ree to four inches lon to elevate the head of the vaporizer well a ove the ipe a, the head having an axial outlet 12, `ig. 1, and the water inlet for each head is connected by a short tube 13 with a tubu; lar riser 14 screwed into the corresponding nipple 9 of the water pipe fw. Thus the several vaporizers are mounted on and communicate with the annular distributin pipe a, and each vaporizer has an individua connection 13, 14 with the water-distribut ing pipe Iw.

As the water is supplied under atmos pheric pressure it is customar in apparatus of this t e to rovide suitab e means, such as a tan wit float-controlled valve, to maintain the water level at a point between the top and bottom of the series of risers 14,

`so that when the fluid under pressure is shut oi from any vaporizer it immediately ceases to opxlate. Such an arrangement, being well own and' of itself formin no part of my invention, is not herein ustrated,

but it will be obvious that when the air or other fluid under pressure is shut olf the vaporizer cannot overflow or leak and it does not affect in any Way the operation of any other vaporizer or vaporizers in the set. For this individual control of the vaporizers each one is provided with a suitable shutolf valve in a casing 15, the valve being governed by means of a valve-handle 16,

lt will be observed that the discharge ends of the vaporizers face outward from the supporting post A, and the heads 10 of said vaporizers are high enough above the annular pipe lw to avoid any interference of the latter with the jets of vapor discharged from the outlets l2.

Instead of having the water distribution pipe w on the outside I may reverse the arrangement of the pipes a and w, as shown in Fig. 8, in which case the vaporizers will be mounted on the outer pipe a, as previously described, and the connection 13 leads inward to the riser on the water distributing pipe w, said pipe in such case being located in a horizontal plane below the plane of the pipe a.

1n Fig. 1 I have shown the conduit aK as provided with an air-cleaning connection (.1, governed by a valve c and adapted to be coupled to a suitable length of hose o". This connection is only provided when compressed air is used, its purpose being to provide a convenient point of attachment for a hose-pipe used for cleaning machinery, shafting, walls, etc. by compressed air. Such cleaning by a blast ofcompressed'ai'r is very convenient, in practice a length of hose-pipe from forty to sixty feet long being coupled onto the connection C and hav ing at its free end a cleaning nozzle, by means of which the air blast can be directed to any particular point to be cleaned By mounting the set of vaporizers overhead around the posts, and connecting them as described with the air and Vwater mains no objectionable piping is in sight; the vaporizers and annular distribution pipes are out of the way of machinery and operatives, and the humidifying or moistening of the air in the room can be carried on to the best advantage.

Various changes or modifications in details of construction and arrangement may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my inpressure to the other one, vaporizers mounted on and communicating with one of the annularl pipes, and connections between the other of said pipes and the vaporizers, whereby the water supplied to the vaporizers is broken up and vaporized by the fluid under pressure.

2. The combination with an upright post, and a bracket xed thereon, ot concentric annular pipes for air under pressure and water, respectively, mounted on the bracket, supply conduits for said pipes arranged adjacent the post, vaporizers mounted on and communicating with the annular air pipe, and individual connections between said vaporizers and the annular water pipe.

3. The combination with an upright ost, and a bracket comprising a separable ody to embrace the post, and radial arms eX- tended from the body, of two separable, annular pipes supported by the bracket arms and surrounding the post, a water supply conduit adjacent the post and connected with one of said pipes, a conduit for fluid under pressure connected with the other annular pipe and also adjacent the post, and vaporizers mounted on -and communicating with one of said annular pipes and also connected with the other pipe, whereby the water supplied to the vaporizers is vaporized by the fluid under pressure.

4. In humidifying apparatus, lan "upright post rising from the floor of the room, overhead annular pipes mounted on and surrounding the post, air and water mains beneath the flooring, conduits leading from said mains to the annular pipes andtlocated adjacent the post, to supply air under pressure and water to said pipes, respectively, a series of vaporizers mounted on and communicating with the annular air pipe, and individual connections between said vaporizers and the annular water pipe.`

5. In humidifying apparatus, an upright post rising from the floor of the room, overhead annular pipes surrounding the post and xedly connected therewith, mains be neath the ooring for water at atmospheric pressure and for fluid under pressure, conduits located adjacent the post and connecting said mains with the overhead annular pipes, a series of vaporizers mounted on and communicating with the annular pipe containing fluid under pressure, individual connections between the vaporizers and the an# nular pipe containing water, and means to regulate the supply of fluid under pressure to each vaporizer.

G. The combination, with an upright post, of overhead tubular distributers for water, and for a fluid under pressure, respectively, surrounding the post and fixedly connected therewith, a series of vaporizers arranged about the post, and mounted on and each communicating with one of the said distributers, individual connections between the said vaporizers and the other distributer, and upright supply conduits for said distributers arranged adjacent the post.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK W. PARKS.

Vitnesses: i

CORA G. CONNERY, RUBIE E. SCHRAGLE. 

